


Gonna Try (With a Little Help From My Friends)

by Chash



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Hollywood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 10:22:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15532155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chash/pseuds/Chash
Summary: Clarke doesn't really know how to feel about the fact that Bellamy's going to be naked in his new TV show. She has even less of an idea of how to feel about the fact that he didn't tell her.





	Gonna Try (With a Little Help From My Friends)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [apanoplyofsong](https://archiveofourown.org/users/apanoplyofsong/gifts).



> Kristen pointed out that this one My Brother, My Brother, and Me question (about an actor friend's nudity) sounded like a Bellarke AU, and I had been meaning to follow-up on that for a while, so here we are!

"So, what's the correct reaction when you find out someone is going to be naked on TV and didn't tell you?"

Wells' hand stops with his croissant halfway to his mouth, and he puts it down and just cocks his head at her. "One more time."

Clarke sighs. "You remember Bellamy?"

"Your roommate's brother? The hot one?"

"That would be him."

Wells nods. "I can see why this is a crisis."

"It's weird, right?"

"I still don't know what _it_ is, I just assume everything involving Bellamy is a crisis for you."

This is, unfortunately, kind of accurate. Bellamy is a problem because the first few times Clarke met him, she hated him but also wanted to make out with him, and while the hate faded, the desire to make out with him never did, which just leaves her with a huge, stupid crush on her college roommate's brother, and nothing to do about it because Bellamy, despite no longer hating her and, by all appearances, being pretty fond of her, has showed no signs of wanting to make out with her.

But he also didn't tell her he's going to be naked on TV, and she's not sure what to make of that. All she knows is that she's been reading into it non-stop. 

"He got cast on a new show. It sounds really good, like--one of those prestige things, on Showtime, probably really great for his career. He's been really excited? We've been talking about it a lot. But he didn't tell me he's apparently got nude scenes."

"So how did you find out?"

"Octavia brought it up. And it felt like everyone else already knew? She was like, I hope he tells me when the nudity is so I can skip it, and Raven was like, I hope he tells me so I can have a viewing party. And I didn't know at all."

"So you're upset he didn't tell you he was going to be naked."

"Not _upset_. I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do. Like, do I act like I don't know? Do I watch the episode and tell him--I don't even know what I'd tell him."

"Look, I get why you're overthinking this. I've met you, I know how you are. But he's on a TV show where he's getting naked and he told you about it. He's got to know that you might see him naked."

"So why wouldn't he tell me? Just, like--as a head's up"

Wells shrugs. "You could ask him."

"Yeah, that's normal. _Hey, Bellamy, why didn't you warn me I was going to see your dick on TV_?"

"Okay, first off. Let's pretend for a second that this isn't the guy you've got a crush on. I know you love pretending you don't have a crush on him."

Clarke glares. "Shut up."

"What if it was me? What if it was my dick?"

"If it was you, you would have told me you were going to be naked." She sighs. "It just bothers me? Like--he told his sister and Raven, why _wouldn't_ he tell me? I thought we were friends."

"Maybe it just came up when he was talking to them and it hasn't come up with you yet. And Octavia is his sister," he adds. "If I was going to be naked on TV, I'd tell all my immediate family so they'd be prepared."

"But not your friends."

He taps his jaw. "I guess it depends. Like, maybe he thinks he shouldn't assume you care. You're an adult, you've seen a dick before."

"So has Raven. I think she's seen _his_ dick."

"So it's probably not a big deal for her." He sighs. "Seriously, I don't know what you want me to tell you. Do I think it's weird? Sure. Do I have any idea what I'd do if I was appearing on TV naked? No. So if you want to know what he's thinking? You've got to _ask him_."

"You're no help," she mutters.

"I don't know why you thought I would be. You knew this was what I was going to say."

"Would you ask him? If it was you."

Wells opens and closes his mouth, apparently changing his mind a couple times before he finally says, "Honestly? I'd probably try to figure out how to get him to bring it up. Like--drop some hints or whatever."

Clarke chokes on her coffee. " _So, on a scale from one to ten, how much nudity is in this? Asking for a friend_."

" _I was thinking about watching this with my grandmother, any reason I shouldn't?_."

"Perfect, yeah." She sighs. "How bad is it that I'm really looking forward to the episode?"

"It's bad because you should be putting more effort into actually seeing him naked and less into worrying about seeing him naked on TV. Maybe he didn't tell you because he's hoping his dick will impress you and he doesn't want you to miss out."

"Is that what you would do?"

"I still don't think there's a ton of point in putting me in hypothetical situations where I'm naked on TV," says Wells. "What would _you_ do?"

It's a valid question, and Clarke clucks her tongue. "I think I'd tell him because I'd feel weirder if he found out on his own. But I don't know _how_ I'd tell him."

"So maybe he's just waiting for the opening. You just need to give him one."

"Like asking if I can watch with my grandmother."

Wells smiles. "For a start. You know when the episode is on?"

"Not yet. The show premieres next month, I think?"

"Cool. Let me know when he's going to be naked."

"Obviously," says Clarke. "What are friends for?"

*

"I think you're going to regret this."

Bellamy scowls, more at his computer than Clarke. "I already regret this. Jesus, how do I decide who to follow? Why are people already following me?"

_Intrepid_ is Bellamy's first really big recurring role, a significant part on a prestige show that's got a lot of network support. It's not necessarily his big break, but it's the best shot he's had, probably ever, which means he's putting in some real effort to capitalizing on it.

Which means he signed up for twitter and then called Clarke as soon as people found out he was on twitter, because now he's terrified. Not shockingly.

"Because the show account welcomed you to twitter and people are excited."

"The show hasn't even started yet."

"Do you understand how publicity works?"

This time, he is scowling at her. "Clearly not. I've been told if I understood how publicity worked I would have already had a twitter."

"Probably, yeah."

"I don't see how it helps me if I don't use it."

"The idea is that you use it."

"Thanks for the update."

"You did call me."

A smile tugs at his mouth. "I did. I saw you followed me."

"Well, I'm a fan."

"Thanks." He cracks his neck. "I can follow you back, right?"

The question actually requires some thought. "It depends on who else you follow."

"Why?"

"Well, if you follow me and like--no other regular people? You're showing that I'm your friend."

"You are my friend."

"I'm just saying, people might read into it."

He rubs his face. "Fuck, am I really expecting people to read into my twitter follows? Is that a thing?"

"I don't know," she says, slow. She's not actually involved in the industry at all, but she grew up around Hollywood, and she does brand management for companies, which is kind of similar. Bellamy's not a big enough deal to hire an actual dedicated person for social media, but she also likes him. She's willing to advise him pro-bono. "But it's better to start off careful than realize you need to be careful and haven't been."

"I guess. Can't I follow you because you're a professional? You do--things."

"It's my personal twitter. I do professional tweets from the agency account. And I'm not exactly famous on any of my accounts."

He thinks it over. "I'm following you anyway."

She's his first follow, which is flattering, even if it's also a kind of terrible tactical decision.

"Okay, you should follow the show too, and the other actors." She worries her lip. "What kind of fan base are you expecting?"

He shoots her a sidelong glance. "What are my options?"

It's not exactly how she planned to bring up the whole nudity issue, but since she didn't really _have_ a plan, the excuse is appreciated. "Are you hot?"

Adorably, he looks down at himself. "Uh, I think so? I look pretty good."

She bites back on her smile. "I meant--is your character showing off how hot you are? Do you think a lot of people are going to follow you because you're attractive in the context of the show? Or are they not going to know you're hot?"

"Oh." He rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, I think being hot is kind of a character trait."

"Okay, so you should expect to get a bunch of followers who just think you're hot. I'd probably try to go for kind of--normal vibe."

"What does that mean?"

"Tweet every couple days with just stuff about your life. Engage with the other actors. Do you have a love interest?"

The pause stretches. "I have a sex scene."

"With a guy or a girl?"

"Guy. It's pretty good, honestly. In terms of being--I don't know. It's how they reveal my character is queer, they haven't specified exactly how yet, and I don't love that, but the scene was well written and I liked how they handled it."

"How explicit?"

"The actual sex scene is pretty tame, but I wander around naked after."

"So you're telling me as soon as that episode airs, you're going to pick up ten million twitter followers."

"You're telling me that. I'm humble."

Clarke smiles. "Okay, fine. Here."

He blinks as she hands over her phone. "What?"

"Log into twitter. I'm taking over your social media presence. I've got this."

"Don't you usually charge for that?" he asks, but he's already putting in his information.

"Usually, yeah. But we're friends." She bites her lip. "Were you going to tell me about the sex scene?"

"Is that something I was supposed to disclose?"

"What if my mom was visiting and I told her we should watch your show together?"

"I assume your mom has seen a dick before." He sighs. "I don't know, it's weird, right? But I wanted you to watch the show."

"And you thought your dick would scare me off?"

"This is why I didn't want to have this conversation."

He really does look a little uncomfortable, and Clarke feels guilt rush over her. It probably _is_ really awkward for him. Just because she's hurt doesn't mean he did anything to hurt her, and he doesn't deserve her petulance.

"Sorry," she says. "It's not--I'm curious. It's not like it's a big deal. It's your job, right?"

"Yeah. And it's a good job, I don't mind. But this is a first for me."

"Hey, at least you look good naked," she says, and he smirks.

"Are you spying on me or just going on blind faith?"

"Not blind faith. Informed faith. I know you have a great workout routine, and you look good with clothes on, so--" He's still smirking, and she glares. "I'm trying to make you feel better, shut up!"

"It's working, keep going."

"I thought you didn't want to have this conversation."

"I didn't realize it would involve you telling me how good I look naked." His expression softens, going gentle in the way that always makes her heart lurch. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you. Without it being like--hey, check out my dick. Or beware of my dick."

"That's what you told Octavia, I'm guessing."

He winces. "She told you? You knew?"

"She and Raven were talking about it. It felt a little weird being the only one who _didn't_ know about your dick."

"Raven's my roommate, she got the first freakout. Right place, right time. Or wrong place, wrong time, I guess? Depending on how much you want to hear about my dick." He clears his throat. "And, yeah, I warned O. She was asking how embarrassing it would be to watch. And then--honestly, yeah, you probably are the only one who didn't know."

It stings a little. "So, you could tell everyone else to check out your dick?"

"Well, Miller and Raven have already seen it." He bites the corner of his mouth. "I was trying to figure out the right approach. Raven told me I was a total failure if I couldn't turn it into a pick-up line, but I wasn't having much luck."

" _Hey, check out my dick_?" Clarke supplies, heart racing. "It was right there."

"Yeah, but it's not exactly romantic. And I was hoping to, uh--I was really going to do better than freaking out at you about twitter and accidentally talking about my dick. A lot. When you already knew about it. Fuck."

Clarke can't help it; she starts laughing. Bellamy doesn't join her, but his mouth does twitch up into a sheepish smile, and Clarke gets her own reaction under control. "Sorry, just--Bellamy, come on. You didn't have to do anything special. You didn't even have to bring up your dick! Just-- _hey, do you want to get dinner sometime_?"

"That's it?"

"You seem really invested in making this complicated." She smiles. "I like you. It doesn't have to be some big thing. Just--yeah. Do you want to get dinner sometime?"

He laughs, leans in and presses his mouth against hers, a kiss that's supposed to be quick, but she doesn't want to kiss him quickly. She wants to kiss him for hours.

"I definitely want to get dinner," he murmurs, when he finally pulls away. His grin is almost blinding. "You want to check out my dick sometime?"

"Before the episode airs?"

"Special sneak preview. Any time you want."

She leans in to kiss him again. "I'd love to."

*

Raven does have a viewing party for the episode, but since she's done that for every episode, Clarke assumes it won't actually be a big deal.

In retrospect, this was a stupid assumption.

"I didn't even know they made this much dick-shaped food," says Clarke, leaning over the bowl of dick pasta.

"Bachelorette parties. Gag gifts. Trolling your friend about his big sex scene. They're good for every occasion. And some of them aren't technically dicks. The cake is supposed to be a palm tree on an island or some shit. But hey, anything can be a dick if you believe in yourself."

"And you're very dedicated to trolling your friend."

"And I am." Her eyes flick over Clarke. "How weird is this going to be? Watching your boyfriend be naked on TV with all your closest friends?"

"Probably less weird than if I wasn't dating him. This way at least I already know I get to fuck him after."

"Yeah, I guess that would be a plus. I assume you're not going to be overcome with lust or anything."

"Depends on how good the sex scene is."

Raven rolls her eyes. "You two are disgusting. But congrats, I guess. I'm glad he actually managed to leverage a nude scene into a relationship."

"I'm very smooth," Bellamy says, coming up behind Clarke and grabbing a gummy dick out of the bowl on the table. "Shut up."

"Literally all he had to do was ask, and he didn't," Clarke says. " _Leverage_ is a strong word."

"You asked me out during a conversation about my dick. Which was causing you a major crisis. I'm counting it as an overall win."

Clarke grins, leaning back into him. "Definitely a win."

And it is, admittedly, a little weird to watch the scene, but it's the usual kind of surreality that comes along with having a boyfriend who's on TV. Bellamy's a great actor, and it's not really like watching _him_. The sex he has on screen is nothing like the sex she and Bellamy have with each other.

It's great and all, good direction, good acting, but it doesn't even come close to the real thing. And that's all hers.


End file.
